Railroad-gate.



1. H. TAYLOR & A. H. MANSELL. RAILROAD GATE.

APPLICATION men luLvzs. 1914.

Patented a. 18, 1915.

3 SH SHEET 1.

1. H. TAYLOR & A. H. MANSELL] RAILROAD GATE. APPLICATION men 1uLY 25, 1914.

Patented 18, 1915.

1,140,084: 3 EETZ RAILROAD GATE. APPLICATION mm lULY25. 1914.

9w m a. 0mm 0 w T R y H 0 W T mu l n UNITED sTATEs rntrniwr orrrc.

JAM S H. TAYLOR. AND ALBERT H. MANsnLL, or nErRoIT, MICHIGAN.

RAILROAD-GATE.

of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Gates, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to railroad gates and has for its object a railroad gate that is automatically opened upon the approach of a train and closed upon the passing of the train.

In the drawings,Figure 1, is a longitudinal section along the track showingthe operating devices. Fig. 2, 1s a cross-sectionshowing the operating devices. Fig. 3, is a plan view of the operating devices adjacent the gates. Fig. 4, is a side'elevation of one of the gates. Fig. 5, is a detail of one of the catches for holding a gate in open position. Fig. 6, is a detail of one of the trips showing how one of the arms can be swung inactivelywhen it is desired that the trip he not worked. Fig. 7 is a plan, view of a portion of the track and a portion of the gates.

Fig. 8, is across-section showing the tripping device in position for operation. Fig. 9, is a perspective showing a stretch of trackand road and also our gates closed by tive is shown only fragmentarily by the illustration of a portion of the cow-catcher.

, {Referring to Fig. 1, (1 indicates the track 7 carried on the ties b. 0 designates a post to the top of which is transversely pivoted a spindle 03 upon which the gate e'is journaled bytheV-shaped frame f. Thev dotted line showingof the gate in this figure shows the gate in closed position. The gate spindie n? is one arm of a bell-crank lever g.

This is connected with the crank h by the.

link 2'. The crank h-isattached to the crankshaft j which is located under the ground in a suitable tunnel. ,The crankshaftj is provided with 'two actuating arms k and-Z (see Figs. 2 and 3). When the arm 70 is pulled'toward the track itforces the crank it downward, thereby pulling down thelink i and tipping the gate spindle 03 toward the; track. This raises the gate so its swingmg Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18 1915.

Application filed July 25, 1914. Serial No; 853,039.

are is on an incline and causes the same to swing toward the 1 track by gravity. The arm Zis now drawn back and consequently when t is pulled itforces the link a upward and tips the spindle d] back to its initial pos1t1on.- This causes the gate to swing away from. the track and into open position. The gate on the opposite side of the track works in identically the same'way and the reference characters that the reference characters on the actuating arms are changed to m and .n for purposes of clearness in reference- -The cord or cable 0. connects the actuating arm is with the lower actuating arm n of the gate on the opposite side. upper actuating arms are in a retracted position at the same time and the two lower actuating arms are in the forward position at the same time. arm m is connected to a bellcranklever p while the loweractuating arm Z is connected by a cable to the bellcrank lever q. The opposite ends of these bellcrank levers areconnected with the main actuating crank- Consequently the two are the same except The upper actuating shaft 0" by suitable cables, the. ballcrank '7 lever g being connected to the under crank 8 while the bellcrank lever p is connected withthe upper crank t.

when the main crank shaft r is turned'away from one looking at Figs. 2 and 3 the bellcrank lever 19 is pulled toward the shaft. This in turn pulls the actuating arm m toward the track and the actuatingarm m Consequently pulls the actuating arm is of the oppositegate toward'the track and this closes the gates.

When the main crankshaft 1' is pulled toward one viewing Figs. 2 and 3 it actuatesthe bellcrank lever g which pulls the under actuating arm Z, while the upper crankshaft r is actuated. Referring to Fig.

1, it will be seen that the main crankshaft 1' is provided with a pair of lever arms a and 'w, one above and the-other below. These lever arms are connected with'the two trips.

These trips are placed at considerable distance from the gates, say half a mile. The tripsare pivoted as shown in Fig. 1. They comprise each a lever 60 which extends on each side of the pivot. The lever arm u of the main crank shaft 1* is connected directly to the left-hand lever 00 (Fig. 1) above the pivot and connected with the right-hand lever 00 below the pivot. Similarly the lower lever arm w of the main crankshaft r is connected with the left-hand lever 00 below its pivot and connected with the right-hand lever :10 above its pivot.

In Fig. 1 both of the gates are shown in the position they occupy when the gates are open. A train entering the block marked off by the two trips strikes the upraised arm y of the trip; that is the bar a (Fig. 6) carried on the train, either on the engine or one of the cars rides face of the arm y and forces the lever to the opposite side of the gate segment 1 in which it swings and is guided. Through the connections already described this actuates the I main crankshaft and also pulls the trip onehalf mile on the opposite side of the gates. The actuation of the main through the connections already traced tips the spindles d toward the track and causes the gates to swing closed. When the train proceeds by the gates and is passing out of the block it strikes the arm 3 of the farther trip and forces this trip outward with respect to the block. This closes the gates through the connections and also throws the other trip outward with respect to the block.

The gates are held in open position by a catch 2 (Fig. 5) which is in the form of a bellcrank lever with a weighted arm 3. When the gates open they slide along the beveled end of the catch and drop into the notch. They easily disengage themselves from this catch when the gate is closing because the spindle is tipped and the gate is raised vertically by the tipping of the spindle. This lifts the gate out of the notch so it can clear the catch. The catch is carried on the post 4.

One of the features of our invention is the particular form of trip device used. It is provided with two arms y. Each arm is a bellcrank lever and each arm is pivoted to the top of the lever w. When the top of the arm is struck by the bar 2 of the train the arm cannot move relatively to the lever :0 because it is restrained by a pin 5. Consequently the lever must be tipped. However when the arm is struck underneath as shown in Fig. 6, the welghted arm 3 will be tipped over as shown in the dotted lines of this figure. The weight will cause the arm to resume its initial position after the bar 2 has passed. The purpose of this is to prevent the trips being destroyed when another train or engine enters the block. For instance, with the trips in the position shown in Fig. 1, if for any reason two trains were in the block at the same time and one train departed and opened the gates, if this were followed by a second train, the upper arms y would be swung inactively. Further, let

on the upper surcrankshaft us suppose that the trips were tipped each toward the gates shown in this figure as they would appear when one train was in the block and another came in at the same time, this latter train would merely swing the levers of the trips inactively.

The bar 2 is pivoted (Fig. 8) so that it can be lifted to'the dotted line position of this figure so that the gates will not be operated if the train crew does not so desire. The purpose of this is to prevent the closing of the gates, for instance, when a train is to stop before it reaches the gates and perhaps tarry for some time, otherwise the gates might remain closed for a long time to the impairment of traffic across the railroad.

Instead of cable connections as shown, electrical contacts can be substituted on or below trip arms, and currents sent through underground wires, so that the gate spindle d may be tipped by electric magnet or any other electric motor means.

Where compressed air is available, such as near stations or junctions, the crank shaft j may be actuated, together with the rest of the mechanism, by air pressure after the manner of switches, signals, etc., so operated.

What we claim is:

1. In an automatically operated railroad gate, the combination of a swinging gate for closing or leaving open a road over the railroad track, a pair of trips located at remote points, one on either side of the gate along the railroad track, and pivoted to swing toward and away from the gate, and connections between the two trips and the gate, the said connections being arranged to cause the trips to swing together in either direction and to cause the gate to close when the trips are swung toward the gate and open when the trips are swung away from the gate, each of said trips being provided with a device adapted to be struck by the trainbut part of the device moving relatively to the trip when the trip is at the limit of its movement in the direction toward which the train is going and part of the device moving the trip when the trip is tipped toward the oncoming train.

2. In an automatically operated railroad gate, the combination of a gate, remotely placed trips, and connections between the trips and the gate for opening or closing the gate, said trips operating to swing toward or from the gate together by reason of the said connections, each trip comprising a lever provided with two pivoted bellcrank arms on its upper end, each bellcrank arm being provided with a lower weighted end and adapted to actuate the lever when struck upon its top surface, but adapted to swing inactively when struck upon its lower surface.

3. In an automatically operated railroad gate, the combination. of a gate, a pivoted spindle journaling the gate and adapted to be tipped to one side or the other to open or close the gate, a crank shaft, a link connecting the s indle with the crankshaft for tipping the spindle when the crankshaft is oscillated, a second gate on the opposite side similarly mounted, a second crankshaft, a link connecting the second crankshaft and the second gate spindle, upper and lower actuating arms on both the first and second crank shafts, draft connections between the upper actuating arm of one crankshaft and the lower actuating arm of the other crankshaft, a main crankshaft, cranks on the main crankshaft one-above and the other below the main crankshaft, draft connections between the lower crank and the lower actuat-' ing arm of the first-mentioned crankshaft, draft connections between the upper crank of the main crankshaft and the upper actuating arm of the second crankshaft, remotely placed trips pivotally mounted, lever arms mounted upon the main crankshaft and con-- nections between the upper and lower actuating levers of the main crankshaft, one pair of connections being between the upper actuating arm and above the pivotal point of one trip and the lower actuating arm and below the pivotal point of the same trip, and the other pair of connections being between the upper actuating arm and below Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addr'easing t he Commissioner of Patentn.

the pivotal point of the other trip and between the lower actuating arm and above the pivotal point of this same trip.

In an automatically operated railroad gate, the combination of a gate, a tipping spindle therefor on which the gate is journaled, means for automatically operating said tipping spindle and a catch for holding the gate in oneof these positions, compris-' ing a post, a bellcrank lever pivoted thereon, a weight on the lower end of the bellcrank lever, a beveled face on the other end of the lever with a notch back of the same, whereby the gate in swinging toward the catch drops into the notch, is held in position until the spindle is tipped when it is lifted out of the notch. r

5. In an automatically controlled railroad gate, the combination of lever pivoted tothe top of the post, having one arm formed into a spindle, a gate rotatably mounted upon said spindle, a link ver tically disposed and connected at its upper end with the lower arm of said bellcrank lever, and means operated by a passing train for forcing the link .up or drawing it down.

In testimony whereof, we sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. TAYLOR. ALBERT H. MANSELL. Witnesses: 7

STUART C. BARNES, MARIETTA E. RUDD.

a post, a bellcrank 

